No More I Love Yous

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Before Apollo’s Song first hit American bookshelves in 2007 few would have thought Tezuka’s twisted tale of love gone wrong would become a best-seller. But much like Tezuka’s Buddha before it, once it finally was experienced it was immediately received with praise from the highest sources of print media.

Now after a number of reprints, Apollo’s Song is born again in a brand new two-volume edition. Now featuring new cover designs from our in-house Production Manager Hiroko Mizuno, this new handsome version comes in a smaller, more portable trim, and is priced perfectly for these tight economic times. So whether you are completely new to Shogo’s tragic love story or have only heard rumors of what Salon.com called “a marvelously screwed-up paean,” Apollo’s Song should rekindle comics readers’ romance with Osamu Tezuka.

MW and Apollo’s Song Nominated for Eisner Awards

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

The comic industry’s most prestigious awards, The Eisners—named after sequential art pioneer and comic-book legend Will Eisner—are handed out every year as part of the festivities surrounding San Diego’s ComicCon International. This year, the Oscars of comics is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and what better way to mark this momentous milestone than by recognizing the pioneer of manga, Osamu Tezuka, with a pair of nominations for two of his greatest works, MW and Apollo’s Song? The former is up for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan and the latter for Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books. The awards will be presented on Friday, July 25 at a star-studded event hosted by Bongo Comics co-founder, artist and writer Bill Morrison, who will be ably assisted by girl-band The Go-Go’s drummer Jane Wiedlin. Marketing Manager Stephen Vrattos will be in attendance with all the other creators and publishers, whose works have been deemed worthy of this time-honored event.

Vertical Titles Make Best Books of 2007 Lists

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

Ordinarily, we here at Vertical are a shy unassuming lot, quietly content in the knowledge that our books are of the highest quality in both content and packaging. This is said with the utmost humility; a mere reiteration of what is oft said to us from fans and pros alike on a daily basis. Still, we would be remiss not to acknowledge all the wonderful people out there who take the time to enjoy our titles and include them on their year-end “Best of” compilations. So as our way of saying, “Thanks,” we present a list of “Best of 2007” lists on which Vertical’s books appear. Those listings on websites link to those sites and we urge everyone to check out these high-quality sites.

Apollo’s SongNew York magazine’s Best Comics of 2007

Apollo’s Song – Focus Knack magazine’s Top 5 Comics of 2007

Apollo’s SongSalon.com’s Most Notable Comics of 2007

MWSeattle Weekly’s Best of the Best of 2007

MWPublishers Weekly’s Top 10 Manga of 2007

Now You’re One of UsFearsmag.com’s Best Books of 2007

To Terra…About.com’s Top 12 New Must-Read Manga Released in 2007

Apollo’s Song . . . On Sale June 26!

Wednesday, June 20th, 2007

The Osamu Tezuka classic about the destructive power of hate, and love’s ultimate triumph gets the Vertical treatment: a single, beautifully-bound paperback edition capturing the entire saga. Check out Vertical’s exclusive sneak peek.